On Nov. 29, students and faculty from Case Western Reserve University will come together with members of the greater Cleveland community to perform a dance show unlike any other. The Mather Dance Collective (MaDaCol) is one of CWRU’s oldest undergraduate student organizations, and the group creates an opportunity to blur the lines between the university and the city it inhabits.

MaDaCol is a student-run modern dance club, but anyone is welcome to join regardless of university affiliation or experience. The club selects choreographers, usually dance department graduate students, to perform pieces for a showcase at the end of each semester. The club holds open auditions for dancers, and the choreographers fill their pieces with dancers from the community at large. The rest of the semester is spent training and rehearsing for the show. This week’s performances will be the culmination of countless hours of work.

The performances will take place on Nov. 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Mather Dance Studio. Tickets can be purchased for $7 at the door but seating is limited.

The last performance during the spring included several breathtaking pieces. “Metamorphosis” featured a single dancer undergoing an unsettling transformation in a human-sized cocoon, while “Go” was an abstract representation of the strategy and spirit of the ancient chinese board game of the same name. Other dances from last spring’s show included “Steal the Thunder,” a high-octane martial arts inspired show and “Pounding the Pavement,” a light-hearted, bombastic glimpse into life in 1950s New York City.

This semester’s show will contain three pieces, all from CWRU graduate students. “Down & Through,” from second-year graduate student Brandon Gregoire, gives physical representation to complex emotional upheaval. “Metro Life,” from fellow second-year graduate student Yuting Zhao, draws inspiration from subway commutes in big cities, exploring the way the mind wanders when the body is confined. Lastly, third-year graduate student Yizhen Hu explores the emotions of death and loss in “Inevitable.”

Hu is a returning choreographer for MaDaCol. Last spring, Hu choreographed “Steal the Thunder,” a piece that represented how two sides of a passionate argument can disagree while still respecting each other as individuals. This synthesis of thought-provoking themes with eye-catching choreography is the kind of entertainment you can expect from MaDaCol. This semester’s show is sure to be nothing less than another chapter in a storied line of outstanding performances.